• Hosting Windows Media-based Content. This section describes two ways to stream media: using a Windows Media server and using a Web server.
• Configuring MIME Types. This section describes how to add MIME types to a Windows Media server.
• Preparing Your Content. This section describes how to encode content and create redirector files.
• Using a Windows Media Server vs. a Web Server. This section helps you determine which server is right for you.
• For More Information

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• Using a Windows Media server. The ideal way to stream content is with Microsoft Windows Media Services 9 Series, which is available only on computers that are running Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Windows Media Services is designed to handle the special requirements of streaming and administering Windows Media content on the Internet or on an intranet. Windows Media Services provides features, such as live broadcasting and intelligent streaming, which automatically adjusts the bit rate of each client stream according to bandwidth that is currently available. Windows Media Services also provides powerful logging and other features. You can stream by using the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), which was created specifically to control the delivery of real-time data over a network; the MMS protocol, which is the proprietary streaming media protocol developed for earlier versions of Windows Media Services; or Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Using HTTP, you can stream through most firewall configurations.



• Using a Web server. You can use any Web server to host Windows Media streaming content. There are many advantages to streaming from a Windows Media server. However, Web server streaming may be the best option if you plan to offer only a few audio clips, for example, or if you have a startup site with limited resources for adding servers. Because you can use your existing Web server, you can stream on the Internet or on an intranet by using Windows Media Technologies.

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• A Web server is not designed for streaming media, so playback is more likely to be interrupted by periods of buffering. Buffering occurs when Windows Media Player is not receiving audio and video data packets fast enough. Windows Media Player has to stop to refill its memory buffer before it can proceed with playback. To help correct for this, you may have to encode files at a lower bit rate than you would if they were being streamed from a Windows Media server.
• Web servers do not support intelligent streaming. Multiple-bit-rate files contain a number of video streams—each of which are encoded at a different bit rate. These files enable the server to perform intelligent streaming. When using intelligent streaming, Windows Media Player sends feedback to the Windows Media server about current network conditions. The Windows Media server then delivers the most appropriate video stream for the current bandwidth from among the streams that are contained in the file. Because a Web server has no mechanism for dealing with intelligent streaming, it sends the entire file, which contains all the streams, and only the highest bit rate stream plays. This can result in wasted bandwidth and a poor user experience.

• How to configure Windows Media Encoder 9 Series to encode a file.
• How to create a Windows Media metafile.
• How to add a tag to an HTML file.

1. On the toolbar, click New Session. The New Session Wizard starts.
2. On the Wizard tab, click Convert a file.
3. On the File Selection screen, type both the file that you want to convert (the source file) and the file that you want to create (the output file).
4. On the Content Distribution screen, click Web server (progressive download). When you click Web server (progressive download), only those encoding options that pertain to encoding files for Web servers are displayed.
5. On the Encoding Options screen, select how you want to encode your audio and video from the lists, and then click to select the appropriate bit rate check box.
6. On the next two screens, type display information and review your settings.
7. After you quit the wizard, click Start Encoding.

Note: Creating and managing profiles is a method provided for advanced users with a detailed knowledge of bandwidth capacity, media settings, and codec usage. For more information, see Windows Media Encoder Help.

After you encode your files, there are two more steps to prepare your content for streaming from a Web server: creating Windows Media metafiles with .wax, .wvx, or .asx file name extensions, and adding tags to your HTML files. The HTML tag points the user's browser to the metafile, which points Windows Media Player to the content (the Windows Media file). You must use a metafile to reference the media because a direct reference to the media in an HTML tag will cause many browsers to attempt to download the media rather than stream it.

To create a Windows Media metafile

1. Open a text editor, such as Notepad.
2. Type the following metafile script, but replace the URL with that of your file. Reference the audio or video file just as you would any other Web file.

   <ASX VERSION="3.0">
      <ENTRY>
       <REF HREF="http://YourWebServer/Path/YourFile.wmv" />
      </ENTRY>
   </ASX>
   

3. You can place the metafile in the same folder as that of your digital media file. If you do so, you can use a relative path, which is simply the name of the file. The REF line would look like this:

   <REF HREF="YourFile.wmv" />
   

4. Save the text file using the name of your digital media file followed by the .wvx extension if the metafile points to a file with a .wmv extension, or .wax if the metafile points to a file with a .wma extension, such as YourFile.wvx. You can also use the .asx file name extension for either audio or video.

1. Using a text editor, such as Notepad, open the Web page to which you want to add the reference to the media.
2. Add the URL of the metafile. For example:

   <HTML>
   <BODY>
   Play this Windows Media file:
   <A href="http://YourWebServer/Path/YourFile.wvx">
   Your File</A>
   </BODY>
   </HTML>
   

3. Copy the Windows Media files (with .wma, .wax, .wmv, and .wvx file name extensions) to your Web server.

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• Stream through most firewalls. Firewalls are special servers that filter information that flows between the Internet and private networks or intranets. Many firewalls are set up by default to block data that isn't from a Web server—data such as a Windows Media stream. Firewalls can be reconfigured to allow this data into the intranet. Alternatively, Windows Media servers can be configured to stream using the same protocol as Web servers, HTTP.



• Stream content with Digital Rights Management. Content that has been packaged using Microsoft Windows Media Rights Manager can be streamed or downloaded from either type of server. Windows Media Rights Manager helps content owners distribute licensed digital media over the Internet with superior audio quality.



• Fast Streaming. A feature of Windows Media Services that allows for a combination of streaming, downloading, and caching to provide the best user experience. Fast Streaming includes Fast Start, which downloads the first few seconds of the content at as high a bit rate as possible, so the wait to start playing is reduced; Fast Cache, which uses available bandwidth to cache as much content as possible ahead of playback; Fast Recovery, which sends error correction data with the data packets instead of waiting for an error to occur; and Fast Reconnect, which enables the server to automatically restore connections that are lost.



• Stream without downloading. Content from a Web server is downloaded. If Fast Cache is enabled on a Windows Media server, content might be cached to enhance playback. However, this feature can be disabled if you want your content streamed only.



• Broadcast (live). Web servers can only host on-demand content (files). A Windows Media server can host content for on-demand delivery or as a broadcast. Broadcasting enables you to stream live content (events that occur in real time), and files and playlists that are played back from the server. Some examples of broadcasting are streaming live radio and television signals, and Internet radio stations.



• Intelligent streaming. As mentioned earlier, this feature requires an interaction between a Windows Media server and Windows Media Player to optimize the stream for the current available bandwidth.



• Optimized for streaming Windows Media content. Windows Media Services was designed for the special requirements of streaming media. For example, Windows Media Services handles resources on a computer better than a Web server when streaming. A Windows Media server is capable of delivering more concurrent streams on a given computer by making more efficient use of a computer's CPU and network bandwidth. A Windows Media server sends data at the same bit rate as the content. A Web server on the other hand does not control the bit rate at which it sends a stream. Consequently, two or more concurrent streams from a Web server could saturate a network's bandwidth.

  Files are streamed from a Web server by using a method called progressive downloading. This means that a file plays as it downloads to the user's Internet cache. This can be a concern for users, because digital media files often consume a large amount of hard disk space. Also, a user cannot seek to different parts of the content, until the entire file is downloaded.




• Indexing. This feature provides end users with a means of fast-forwarding and rewinding through a file that is being streamed, which requires interaction between a Windows Media server and Windows Media Player.



• Administering and logging. You can control how a Windows Media server manages live content and files, and monitor overall system activity in real time. You can also create detailed logs that include data such as individual client connection information and server events.

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• For a more complete comparison, see Web Server vs. Streaming Server.
• For more information about configuring MIME types on a variety of Web servers, see MIME Type Settings for Windows Media Services.
• To download Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, see the Windows Media download Web site.

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